October 11, 2019 12 Tishrei 5780 Volume 75, Issue 19
S O U T H E R N A R I Z O N A ’ S A WA R D - W I N N I N G J E W I S H N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 4 6
Celebrations ............11-15 Senior Lifestyle ........ 16-21 Arts & Culture ...................... 28 Classifieds .............................10 Commentary ..........................6 Community Calendar.......... 24 Local ...............2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 15 .........................16, 17, 18, 21 National ..............................7, 8 News Briefs ......................... 22 Obituaries ............................ 26 Our Town ..............................27 Rabbi’s Corner ..................... 23 Synagogue Directory...........23 OUR NEXT EDITION Oct. 25 GOING AWAY? Remember to stop delivery of the AJP at least a week before you leave town.
Launching Oct. 24: Annual campaign funds local, global needs DEBE CAMPBELL AJP Assistant Editor
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ducating the community — that’s our real campaign task,” says Melissa Goldfinger, chair of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s 2020 fundraising drive. “We kick off our 100 Days of Impact on Oct. 24, with our 2020 theme: Powered by You — Stronger Together. Our job is to help donors know what the Federation really does — instead of just asking for money,” she explains. “The campaign is truly the Federation’s tzedakah box. We collect donations in our box and give them away to agencies and partners.” Goldfinger wants everyone to understand the impact of these campaign gifts. “When people learn what we do, they give. We support the past, through the Jewish History Museum and the Holocaust History Center; we support the future through Tucson Hebrew Academy, PJ Library, and our growing reach in the Northwest; we support the vulnerable through Jewish Family & Children’s Services, Senior Task Force, Jewish Free Loan, and special needs programming, as well as many other community outreach projects,” says Goldfinger. “We support our synagogues, our Weintraub Israel Center, indeed, our whole community. It’s just that simple. For those in need, Federation is here.” Other campaign innovations are in the works, too. Calling won’t be the primary mode of securing pledges in this year’s drive. The 2020 solicitation will begin with a letter and email, with follow up
Photo: Debe Campbell/AJP
INSIDE
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Melissa Goldfinger, Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona annual campaign chair for 2020, is surrounded by (L-R) Deborah Oseran, Ronnie Sebold, Andy Kunsberg, and Leslie Glaze.
calls, texts, and paign chair, will emails. “We’re rebe the keynote introducing Textspeaker, joined to-Donate, a great by Rachel Hoffer, tech-friendly way JFNA’s national to donate on the leadership — Melissa Goldfinger young spot,” says Goldco-chair. All curfinger. rent and potential Goldfinger encourages JFSA donors and volunteers who want supporters to complete their 2019 to learn more are invited to atpledges before the new campaign tend the three-hour event, beginbegins. “We are near 100% of our ning at 6 p.m. Register for Train2019 goal. But we still need each ing CAMP-aign at www.jfsa.org/ pledge to reach that $4 million campaigntraining2020. mark.” The Campaign Summits, Nov. The 2020 campaign launches 12-13, will feature Mohammed Al with a “no pain and lots to gain Samawi, author of “The Foxhunt: Training CAMP-aign” dinner and A Refugee’s Memoir of Coming event for community members on to America” (William Morrow). Thursday, Oct. 24. Two training Al Samawi, an interfaith activtracks are offered: “Track 101 for ist, will share his powerful story, the freshman class and Track 201 recounting how four ordinary for the seasoned people who’ve Jewish strangers he connected been around the block a time or with through Facebook saved his two,” Goldfinger explains. David life as two opposing terrorist facT. Brown, the Jewish Federations tions threatened him in his home of North America national cam- country of Yemen. “We actually
“The campaign is truly the Federation’s tzedakah box.”
found out about Al Samawi from my son, Sam,” said Goldfinger. “I asked him who his favorite speaker at his BBYO camp experience was and above them all was Al Samawi. Because of that, and because one of my passions is involving younger generations, we’ll open up the Young Leadership Summit this year to include teen leaders and youth group participation.” The Federation will work with Hebrew High, BBYO, USY, and NFTY to invite local teens to join the Young Leadership and Ben Gurion Society Summit dinner on Nov. 12 at the home of Tedd and Melissa Goldfinger. The Community Summit lunch for all agency boards, Women’s Philanthropy, and community leaders will be held at noon on Nov. 13 at Hacienda del Sol. The Advanced Gifts Summit dinner will be held on Nov. 13 at the home of Steve and Shelly Silverman. “We hope that between the three summits offered, everyone will find one to attend. If not, give us a call, and we’ll work something out,” says Goldfinger. Register for summits at www.jfsa. org/summit2019. Fran Katz, JFSA senior vice president, adds, “Every year, we anticipate the excitement and the passion of Federation’s campaign launch and summits. We see the strength in our community renewed as together, we gather to raise the funds essential to our mission. Our programs, agencies, and partners transform lives locally, nationally, and internationally, but our annual campaign is the foundation of that success.” To make a campaign donation, go to www.jfsa.org/donate.
CANDLELIGHTING TIMES: October 11 ... 5:38 p.m. • October 13 Erev Sukkot ... 5:36 p.m. • October 14 Sukkot ... after 6:29 p.m. October 18 ... 5:30 p.m. • October 20 Hoshana Rabbah ... 5:28 p.m. • October 20 Shemini Atzeret ... after 6:22 p.m. • October 25 ... 5:23 p.m.